Rebelution: The TVD First Date

“The first record I ever bought was on a whim. I went to see my favorite band Dredg play and after the show they had limited edition versions of their first album Leitmotif available on vinyl at the merch table. I didn’t even own a record player, but knew I could always borrow my parents’ if I ever wanted to listen to it.

Rebelution – Sky Is The Limit

I came to expand on this collection, buying all the vinyl that my favorite bands had put out to date. I even researched and found cool little 7″ vinyls that are usually used for singles, and not only do they make great collector’s items, but they also feature alternate art work and may have a B-side recording or demo along with it, which is what prompted me to snap it up.

One of the first records that I seriously took notice of was Outkast’s Aquemini. I was at a backyard BBQ as a teenager and was really digging on the music I was being exposed to, so I followed the sound and sure enough there was a crate of hip-hop records. I found the vinyl case and held it in my hands, enamored at the size of it, and realized that this medium wasn’t an outdated technology but served a serious purpose in the music collector community.

The owner of the crate later taught me how to scratch older records on a turntable which was cool for me being a drummer and working the rhythms.

My mom has even been getting back into vinyl so I’ve bought a few records to add to her collection, including John Lennon’s Imagine. Maybe now she’ll stop listening to Engelbert Humperdinck!”—Wesley Finley